Child safety

Child pedestrians

Children need help in dealing with roads and traffic until they are about 10 years old, according to the advice of Kidsafe NSW. Until this age, children's brains have not developed sufficiently to enable them to make judgements and decisions that will keep them safe.

Parents can help their children develop their safety skills by taking them for regular walks, to demonstrate safe practices and to lead by example. Telling children what to do is not enough on its own to keep them safe; they learn best by actually doing what they need to learn. Teach your children to watch out for dangerous places such as driveways, and give them lots of practice at crossing roads.

Kidsafe NSW provides lots of information and ideas for parents on child safety. Click here to visit their website.

Children in cars

Children should always be secured in a child restraint that is appropriate to their height and weight. Recent research shows that many children are moved on from child restraints before they are big enough, which leaves them vulnerable in a crash.

Parents should check that their child's restraint has the Standards Australia mark and that second hand restraints are not damaged. Restraints should be properly fitted and checked by an Roads & Maritime Services authorised restraint fitter.

For more information on the correct restraint for your child, visit the following pages:

Never leave a child alone in a vehicle

Children are at risk of serious injury if they are left alone in a vehicle.

Heat stress can kill young children. Even on a relatively cool day, the temperature within a car can quickly build up. The temperature inside a parked car can be as much as 30 degrees to 40 degrees hotter than the outside temperature. This means that on a pleasant spring day when the outside temperature is only 20 degrees, the temperature inside a closed car could be up to 60 degrees.

Children in driveways

One of the most dangerous places for young children is the driveway of their own home. In Australia one child is run over every week in their driveway, usually by their own parents or member of their family.

What can you do to keep your child safer?

Kidsafe Australia recommends:

Always supervise your children whenever a vehicle is to be moved - hold their hands or hold them close to keep them safe.

If you’re the only adult around and need to move a vehicle, even just a small distance, put children securely in the vehicle with you while you move it.

Encourage children to play in safer areas away from the driveway & cars - the driveway is like a small road and should not be used as a play area.

Make child access to the driveway difficult - for example use security doors, fencing or gates

How does your car rate for reversing visibility?

How well can you see out of the back of your car when reversing?

The NRMA have developed a Reversing Visibility Index to measure how well a driver can see out the back of a car. They tested a wide range of cars for their reversing visibility and found that all cars have a "blind area" that could easily hide a child.

Bicycle and small wheels safety

When you give a child a wheeled toy, whether it is a bicycle, skateboard, scooter or rollerblades, always buy the correct safety gear to go with it.

Don’t just give them the fun part; as an adult it is your responsibility to keep them safe. Children who wear safety helmets with their first wheeled toy are more likely to continue to wear helmets as they grow up.

Cycling on the footpath is permitted for children under the age of 12, or if an adult is riding with them (unless a sign states otherwise). When cycling off-road on shared pathways, pedestrians have priority and you must ride to the left of the path.

Safety around schools

All roads with direct access to schools are zoned 40 km/h school zone in NSW.

The majority of school zones operate between 8.00am–9.30am and 2.30pm–4.00pm on gazetted school days. The lower speed limits around schools are there for very good reason: it is to keep our kids safe.

The road outside a school can be very busy and confusing when lots of parents arrive at the same time to drop off or pick up their kids. Children can get excited and may run out onto the road without looking or even thinking about other cars. This is part of why drivers must take particular care when driving around schools.

For more information about school road safety, visit Transport for NSW's School Road Safety page.

Parents parking outside schools

Never double park out side a school.

Don’t drop your children off at pedestrian crossings or no stopping zones.

All schools have designated areas for parents to stop when taking their children to school or collecting them.

To improve the safety of our children, there are penalties for many traffic and parking offences in school zones. How would you feel if you were responsible for injuring a child. Please visit Transport for NSW's School Zone Penalties page for information on penalties for offences.